Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 623 The troops split into two routes, north and south.

The Han army would certainly pursue and kill the Jin army returning north, but there was no rush.

After defeating the rebels in Dongping Prefecture and forcing the surrender of the Shenwei Army, the Han army was exhausted, and it was already afternoon. Except for He Boqiu, who was leading the inland river fleet to continue upstream, the rest of the troops set up camp to rest.

It must be said that He Boqiu, the third master, was quite capable. He caught the tail of the rebel ships from Dongping Prefecture near Pingyin City and immediately launched an attack.

Although they were downstream, He Boqiu led a proper navy with regular warships, and their fighting spirit was high. The warships of the Dongping Prefecture rebels, which were converted from inland river merchant ships, were no match for them.

An hour after the battle began, He Boqiu had already defeated the Dongping Prefecture rebels, not only forcing more than a dozen ships to surrender, but also capturing Song Zhi, the Dongping Prefecture rebels' naval commander.

The rebel navy was in a sorry state. They never understood Heshi Lieliangbi's strategic intentions and thought that the Jin army was crossing the river to cut off the Han army's rear. It wasn't until the Wu'an army lined up neatly on the north bank of the river, destroyed the pontoon bridge, and retreated northward in a hurry that Song Zhi realized that the Jin army was about to flee in disarray.

This threw Song Zhi into a panic. After discussing it with the others, they decided to return to Dongping Prefecture along the Beiqing River and then use their local advantages to negotiate with Liu Huai again.

Who would have thought that He Boqiu would be so determined to attack?
After a brief interrogation, He Boqiu discovered that the Jin army had already crossed the river and had been gone for two hours. Helpless, he could only order the navy to continue to guard the river, while he personally led his guards back to the central army.

When He Boqiu personally led more than a dozen prisoners back to Liu Huai, the central army was holding a major military meeting.

This military council was attended not only by Han military officials and civil and military officers, but also by the generals of the Taiping Army who had fled all the way.

Everyone knew that this was a matter of establishing the relationship between ruler and subject, and therefore, even someone as familiar with Liu Huai as Li Tieqiang disregarded his injuries and rushed to the main tent.

Liu Huai, seated at the head of the table, surveyed everyone in the tent: “We have all met before, so there’s no need for introductions. Based on the confessions of the captured Wu’an Army cavalry and the rebel navy, Geng Jiedu’s surprise attack on the Jin’s Left Chancellor, Heshi Lie Liangbi, last night inflicted heavy casualties, but ultimately failed. Geng Jiedu, unwilling to suffer humiliation, went to the Ji River in heavy armor, but his body is now barely a remnant.”

Xin Qiji and the others, who had initially held some hope, were now completely disheartened, and some even wept.

Despite his many faults and shortcomings, Geng Jing was ultimately the political leader of the Taiping Army.

At this moment, he ended his life in such a violent way. Even if he was wrong, the surging Ji River is enough to wash away all his sins.

Those who die for their country are not to be blamed, because their deaths prove that Geng Jing's problem was only with his methodology, not his values.

Even if it's recorded in history books, it will stand the test of time for everyone a thousand years from now.

After Xin Qiji and the others had processed the devastating news, Liu Huai continued, "The dead are gone, but the work of us who are alive is not yet finished. We still need to recover Dongping Prefecture, Yanzhou, and Tai'an Prefecture, support Wang Youzhi of Bozhou, pursue the Jin bandits, and recover Xuzhou. All these matters must be resolved before the beginning of spring. The order of priority and the allocation of troops must be decided in this military meeting!"

"Time is of the essence. The first thing to do is bring all the prisoners up!"

Soon, Kong Duanqi, Shao Jin, Song Zhi, and more than ten other prisoners were bound hand and foot and brought into the main tent.

The expressions of the Taiping Army generals instantly turned fierce. Li Tieqiang, Geng Xing, and others simply placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, waiting for Liu Huai's order to dismember these traitors.

"Young Master! Young Master! I can defect! I can persuade Dongping Prefecture to surrender on your behalf! I'm still useful, please don't kill me, please don't kill me..."

Before Liu Huai could speak, Kong Duanqi had already crawled forward on his knees, banged his head on the ground, and wailed loudly.

Shao Jin, disheveled and slumped on the ground, looked up at Kong Duanqi and sneered, "Old dog Kong, so what if we die? What are we afraid of? We've killed so many people, so many of our own...none of our own...didn't you ever think that one day we would end up like this?"

The Taiping generals were furious, but seeing that Liu Huai, who was at the head of the group, did not speak, they ultimately dared not make any move.

As for whether Liu Huai might spare these people?

Stop joking! This Flying Tiger Gentleman's stance is known to all. He will never forgive these traitors, no matter who he is!

Just then, a man stood up from among the generals of the Taiping Army, came to Shao Jin, kicked him to the ground, then bent down, grabbed his collar, and slapped him hard several times.

Everyone looked over and saw that the person was none other than Zhang Anguo.

His face and eyes were bloodshot, and his beard stood on end, making him look like an angry Vajra: "Why did you betray the governor! I don't want to ask about those old dog Kong and his ilk, I only want to ask you, why did you betray him! What did the governor do to wrong you?! Why did you betray him?!"

Shao Jin and Zhang Anguo were both confidants of Geng Jing, and their relationship with Geng Jing was even closer than that of Li Tieqiang, belonging to the category of inner court officials.

The two had an extremely close relationship, like brothers.

Zhang Anguo never expected that his younger brother would betray him and even become the commander of the rebel army, almost driving the entire Taiping Army to their deaths.

Faced with Zhang Anguo's questioning, Shao Jin just chuckled strangely: "Zhang Qi, you don't know what it's like to enjoy power and wealth. At first, I was just dragged into this mess by that old dog Kong, but in the days that followed, I had all the women in the city at my disposal, all the wealth in the city at my disposal, and countless warriors under my command, obeying my orders. That's what a real man does... Hehe... Haha... Haha."

Faced with the madman Shao Jin, Zhang Anguo instinctively wanted to laugh, but his brows furrowed and tears welled in his eyes. In the end, he displayed an extremely strange expression, pounding Shao Jin's chest and saying, "Old Shao! Why did you force the governor to his death just for your own enjoyment?! You... how did you become like this? How did you become like this?!"

Shao Jin gradually stopped laughing, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. His expression returned to normal, and he muttered to himself, "Yeah... why did I become like this?"

"Fifth Brother, drag Zhang Qilang back." Liu Huai calmly ordered Xin Qiji, then looked at Kong Duanqi: "And you? Geng Jiedu treated you well, why did you betray him? What promises did the Jin Left Chancellor make to you?"

Kong Duanqi, tears streaming down his face, looked up at Liu Huai and exclaimed, "Commander-in-Chief, I didn't know we could win! I didn't know! If I had known, I wouldn't have done this!"

As he spoke, Kong Duanqi simply crawled on his knees and turned to the side: "You tell me yourselves, Shandong has been starting uprisings since the Song Dynasty, but when have they ever succeeded? Every time, as soon as the government troops arrived, they all scattered in a panic. How can this time be any different?!"

Xin Qiji had just helped Zhang Anguo back when he heard this and was furious. He immediately shouted at Kong Duanqi, "We couldn't accomplish anything in the past because scoundrels like you had infiltrated our rebel army!"

Kong Duanqi was confronted by Xin Qiji's direct shout, but dared not respond. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

Seeing that the formalities were over, Liu Huai, too lazy to argue with Kong Duanqi, ordered, "Execute all these people and display their heads. Use their heads to appease the spirits of the righteous army soldiers in heaven!"

Mr. Lu, among the rebels, you must carefully distinguish who the ringleaders are, who were coerced, who has blood on their hands, and who is innocent.

Lu You nodded in agreement. Liu Huai then rose, looked at the generals of the Taiping Army, and slowly said, "Xin Qiji, Jia Rui, Li Tieqiang, Shi Baiju, Du Shiba, Geng Xing..."

After each person's name was called, one person would stand up and bow. In the end, all the Taiping soldiers had stood up and bowed to show their obedience.

"Since you have come to me, I will naturally not treat you unfairly. I can guarantee here that I will treat you all equally from now on, and I will not be stingy with promotions, rewards, or land." Liu Huai said slowly but firmly, "Many of you have fought under my command and know my temperament. I take it as my duty to restore the Han dynasty and recover lost territories. Whether in politics or in the military, I follow the law. If anyone feels that I am too strict here, you can leave now."

"Those who leave now will not only be allowed to take their personal guards and armor, but will also receive some valuables. If anyone wishes to join the Song Dynasty, I can write to Prime Minister Yu Yunwen to recommend them. With the abilities of heroes from the Central Plains, they will surely be highly valued in the Southern Dynasty."

"But once the bond between ruler and subject is established, and the hierarchy between superiors and inferiors is defined, then anyone who wants to leave becomes a traitor, and at that time, don't blame me for enforcing military law!"

Indeed, some of the Taiping Army generals were somewhat tempted.

Because they had long heard that the rules in Shandong East Road were too strict. Not to mention keeping concubines and servants, even occupying a few acres of land would be punished if discovered. If they were to surrender there, wouldn't they have to give back all the land and tenants that Geng Jing had allocated to them?
But going to the State of Song...

Even if they didn't know what kind of state the Song Dynasty was, Xin Qiji and others probably heard about it after their trip to the Huai and Jiangnan regions.

Not to mention the low status of people away from home. Even if someone were to be promoted by a noble person and become a general in the Song state, whether the Song state could actually launch a northern expedition back to the Central Plains was still a big question.

It is very likely that once he goes there, he will never be able to return to his hometown in this lifetime.

Meanwhile, the situation in the north was better than ever before. The Jin state had split into two, and Liu Dalang was advancing triumphantly, breaking through enemy lines and killing bandits one after another. It was the perfect time for him to make a name for himself.

If I were to arrive in Jiangnan now, my comrades would likely become governors in the future, while I would still be wandering around as a commander!
After waiting for a while, seeing that no one in the Tianping Army wanted to leave, Liu Huai immediately made a decision: "In that case, you will each lead your troops and rest in Changqing County for a few days. Xu Dapan, you will temporarily go to the Tianping Army to take charge of logistics."

Xu Zongyan stood up, cupped his hands in agreement.

"Xin Wulang, you will temporarily serve as the commander-in-chief of the Taiping Army, and Da Tieqiang, you will be the deputy commander-in-chief." After swiftly resolving the Taiping Army's issues, Liu Huai immediately convened a formal military meeting.

“We have three targets at this time: Dongping Prefecture, Bozhou, and Xuzhou. But to be precise, there are only two places to go. If we want to attack Xuzhou, we can't bypass Dongping Prefecture. Which one to go first, and which one to go next? Everyone, please give your opinions. Time is of the essence. Chief Clerk He, you shall start.”

He Boqiu was not intimidated and immediately stood up and said, "Naturally, we should go to Bozhou first to help General Wang Youzhi defend Bozhou and then tighten the northern gate before turning back to sweep through the entire Shandong. We must deal with the escaped Wu'an Army, otherwise, if they are attacked from behind and cause chaos in Jinan Prefecture, our army will suffer too much loss in this great battle."

Liu Huai nodded: "Wang Wulang, you continue."

Wang Shilong stood up and immediately offered a different option: "The Wu'an Army is already exhausted, and their morale is on the verge of collapse after abandoning their troops and fleeing north. How can they possibly fight again? The key now lies with Tu Danzhen of Dongping Prefecture. He still has elite cavalry under his command. If he comes here regardless of the consequences, we will be caught off guard. We can only take advantage of this opportunity to kill him unexpectedly in Dongping Prefecture!"

Liu Huai remained noncommittal: "Next one, let's continue."

“I think Wang Wulang is wrong. It is precisely because the Wu'an Army is already exhausted that we cannot let go of the opportunity to strike a fallen dog. If we let them return to Youyan and rest, it will be much more difficult to deal with them then.”

"That doesn't make sense. Isn't that the same thing with Tu Danzhen? If we let this opportunity slip by and he realizes what's going to do, how will we chase after so many cavalry?"

"Alas... let's not forget that General Wang is still fighting the Jurchen invaders in Bozhou..."

Everyone expressed their opinions, and both viewpoints had their supporters; it was simply a debate between expanding the gains and securing the victory.

After Geng Jing's death, the entire Shandong region was now Liu Huai's territory. At this point, whatever he did would be profitable, and expanding in any direction would be the right thing to do; it was just a matter of how much he would earn.

The only things that can restrain Liu Huai now are provisions and his administrative staff.

"Xin Wulang, do you have anything to say?" Liu Huai asked loudly when he saw Xin Qiji deep in thought. "Don't try to hide anything."

Xin Qiji smiled and said, "I'm just worried that you all will think I'm too self-serving."

Liu Huai waved his hand dismissively and said, "Who can be without selfish desires? We are an army, not Confucius's seventy-two disciples. As long as selfish desires can be integrated with public-spiritedness, one's actions will naturally be upright."

Xin Qiji no longer held back: "The Commander-in-Chief led the army north to pursue the Wu'an Army and relieve the siege of Bozhou. Meanwhile, the Tianping Army was to march south, fight back to Dongping Prefecture, and besiege and kill Tu Danzhen."

He Boqiu frowned and said, "Xin Wulang, so many people just now didn't mention the Taiping Army, not because we're foolish or stupid. Given the Taiping Army's current situation, do you think they can still fight?"

Xin Qiji spoke quietly with Li Tieqiang and the others for a few more minutes, his tone becoming firm: "The Taiping Army has suffered heavy losses in all its units, but it has still managed to gather more than 7,000 troops. If we are given more time, we may be able to gather even more."

The Taiping Army consists of soldiers from Dongping Prefecture, Yanzhou, and Tai'an Prefecture. If we take them elsewhere, their morale might not hold up. But if we fight our way back to our homeland, it's worth a try.

After pondering for a moment, Liu Huai nodded and said, "I trust Xin Wulang's abilities. However, just to be on the safe side, we cannot let the Tianping Army act alone."

"Issue my military order: Wang Xiongyi shall lead three thousand Linyi garrison troops westward and garrison Yanzhou. Gao Chang shall be dismissed from his post as magistrate of Qushan County and appointed as the prefect of Yanzhou, to accompany Wang Xiongyi westward."

“Zhang Xiaoxiang is dismissed as the prefect of Zizhou. The father will select a successor and appoint Zhang Xiaoxiang as the prefect of Dongping Prefecture.”

"Issue orders to the two of them, that they lead the legal officials forward, sweeping away the manors of powerful families, punishing the lawbreakers, measuring the land, and registering the people. I want to see results before the spring planting."

“I will personally lead the main force of the army northward to pursue the Wu'an army and support Wang Youzhi of Bozhou.”

"Wulang, once we recover these two places, if the morale of the Tianping Army has risen, we can split our forces with Wang Xiongyi and march south to sweep through Jizhou and Tengzhou. After we meet up in Pei County, we can then threaten Xuzhou."

"If the war develops to that point, and I still cannot march south with a great victory, you will be the commander-in-chief of the southern route. I will issue military orders to Wang Xiongyi and Zhang Baiyu, instructing them to follow your command and to launch a pincer attack from the north and south before the spring, and take Xuzhou."

At this point, Liu Huai looked at Li Tong and said, "We'll have to trouble Mr. Li with the logistics and supplies."

Li Tong stroked his beard and smiled, "Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, I will certainly handle the matter properly."

(End of this chapter)